A wake will be held at the St. Mary Church in Livingston, NJ, on Sunday, August 1, 2004 with viewing from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 and the wake service at 7 p.m.

The Divine Liturgy and last anointment, presided over by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), will be held at the St. Mary Church at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2004.

A hokejash will follow. The St. Mary Church is located at 200 W. Mt. Pleasant Ave. in Livingston, NJ.

Bishop Bagdasian will be buried in Providence, RI, where he was born in 1934.

"His entire life was devoted to serving our church and our people," Archbishop Barsamian said. "As a pastor, his flock always held a special space in his heart. He left his mark by planting the seeds of leadership in people who lead our church today and the others who will in coming years."

LONGTIME SERVANT OF THE LORD

A graduate of the Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Bishop Bagdasian was ordained a priest in 1959. In 1960 he was appointed Patriarchal Vicar of Israel, and was responsible for the Armenian community in Israel as well as the properties of the Armenian Patriarchate.

During his 11 years of service in the Holy Land, Bishop Bagdasian helped renovate several Armenian churches, including St. Nicholas in Jaffa, St. Elijah in Haifa, and St. Krikor Loosavorich in Jerusalem.

Returning to the United States in 1971, he was assigned to the St. Mary Church, then in Irvington, NJ. He led the church in its move to Livingston in 1974. After the church was destroyed by fire in 1980, Bishop Bagdasian's leadership was key in helping the parish faithful pull together to rebuild the church, which was consecrated in March 1982.

His service to the Diocese was not limited to the St. Mary parish. He was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese and headed the Diocesan Finance Committee. He had also served as a member of the Diocesan Council. And he was dedicated to the Armenian homeland, leading a group of 26 ACYOA members to the region devastated by the 1988 earthquake to help with reconstruction efforts.

Upon the recommendation of His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom Manoogian, Bishop Bagdasian was consecrated a bishop in Armenia in September 1992 by His Holiness Vazken I, the late Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

"He was a great leader, a dedicated pastor, and above all else, a kind friend to so many," Archbishop Barsamian said. "His dedication to the faith he was called to serve was strong, as was his love for his flock. He will surely be missed in Livingston, throughout the Diocese, and in the worldwide Armenian Church family."